Ok I started playing today and was trying to pick between low and high magic when another character offered to keep me company while I tried to pick. His character started to kind of flirt with me and I was ok with it for it was an IC thing only to me. However after a while this happens which discourages me somewhat from continuing to play but I will attempt to stick around.




Honestly Why start flirting or hitting on someone oocly in less then an hours interaction with them when the only OOC interactions was him telling me IG command and that i needed a description. I am not interested in having a lot of OOC interactions with people especially on a relationship type of scale. The person logged off immediately so I doubt I will have to deal with it to much from him again but I am hoping this post will cut down on this happening... I tried lusternia once before a year or so ago with a similar experience. If it stayed IC until a point we got to know each other in an OOC way I would be more understanding.

I bet I know who that is

Hmm, when I'm teaching a novice I'm afraid I do break into OOC, but only for three questions, I ask for an estimate of age (So I can be more understanding of any errors they make like spelling and grammar, if a 25 year old came at me with 'leet' I'd kindly tell them to bugger off), I ask them if English is their first language (same reason) and I ask them if they're familiar with with this or any other IRE game.

But yeah, if that was the first break into OOC then I'm dissapointed in whoever it is.

Who do you think it is, Ssaliss?

I think we all have a sneaking suspicion

When I made a Halli-alt, Doman was very friendly to her. Even ruffled her hair. So yeah, probably him

That's really disappointing. I've never had anyone initiate OOC stuff out of the blue like that. Only people who I've had some OOC interaction with on the forums, or a one-off from someone who just thought something I said or did was funny for an OOC reason.

I think this may be blown a teensy bit out of proportion. Hair-ruffling, which is a fairly common emote in the game, is pretty innocuous. It has always had a 'you little ragamuffin!' connotation to me. I use it on my e-kids and keen novices, and certainly not in a flirty way. In the context you present I read it as encouraging a new player - you are fretting over something (high vs low magic) the other player knows is no big deal. Some people are more inclined to make ooc connections, but it doesn't mean you've got some creep around. It is good that you are clear with the player base up front about wanting this line drawn, but this instance doesn't strike me as the sort of situation you are worried about. Relax, have fun.

Talan, any sort of unasked for OOCness is 'too much', especially showing affection where it is not asked for or wanted, between people who are basically IC strangers.

To then go on and question why someone picks the RP they pick in such a way is not only rude and insulting, but a bit of a turn off for new players.

ThePhoenix

It was the original poster who brought that up when the original poster could have just said "Please don't go OOC with me." What was the point of over-sharing in that way? Just say "No OOC" (which is well within every person's rights), but don't try to launch some kind of forum crusade for something that is not an issue.

Oh my gosh, someone ruffled my hair in parenthesis, the world is going to explode. Run for the hills!

Some people are okay with OOC, some are not. Honestly, the game is pretty darned frustrating for most true newbies without a bit of OOC here and there to try and get their questions answered in a... more direct fashion than is possible when keeping everything IC. Saying that everyone prefers one thing is extremely and clearly untrue as pretty much anyone who has ever dealt with newbies can tell you. They come in a nearly infinite number of varieties!

If there was something actually creepy happening you should do something (in that case you should most likely ISSUE and actually get the person removed from causing harm to others, not bring it to the forums) but in that log there was not.

Note that this is coming from someone who does not initiate OOC conversations really; if a newbie sends me an OOC tell, then fine, we can go that way. I prefer letting the newbie decide what they need. This feels like a massive overreaction, however, with what is in this thread.

If someone I just met ruffled my hair I would be either i) offended or ii) creeped out or iii) both, which I think is what the OP is expressing here. As someone who just had a RL experience of this sort a few days ago... I can sympathize =S

Anyway, what they did here was totally unnecessary to 'welcome' a newbie to the game and I would be worried if we are really going to start condoning those type of interactions.

To Makaela: Unfortunately there's no way to filter out these people from playing the game, when it happens just ignore them or do what you did here, it seemed pretty effective.

People ruffle newbies' hair all the time. It's not an issue. It's usually a "Hey, you're young, you'll get there" kind of thing. Not sure why you'd think it's creepy or worth making a fuss about.

Just say "I don't do OOC," and leave it at that. The forum thread is unnecessary with the text provided, and the reply was completely unnecessary; the OOC player's gender shouldn't affect the IC interactions.

Essentially: It still looks like an overreaction.

You're more hopeful than I am.

My take on it was that they were not ruffling the character's hair but ruffling the player's hair... which sounds weird when I type that, but that difference is the line between being OK and being unwarranted. I think the real issue here though (from what I interpreted in the opening post) is more along the lines of players making passes to other players, essentially using the game as their personal internet dating site (the example by Makaela isn't too bad, but if he didn't ask the other person to stop, I'd wager it would've gotten even more... friendly)

Well, the problem with issuing I think is that it won't be seen as offensive enough and will be dismissed. I can only imagine this person is doing this to other female newbs... and might be creeping out other potential players and making them want to QQ.

Then again, I have that affect on people as well, so...

I think we've outed you as a romanticist and an optimist. You're dead to me.

By the looks of it you handled it well and were upfront. You can always tell people to STOP.

If you ever feel harassed, by anyone in the game, issue them - the admin have zero tolerance for harassment. You can also SNUB people which makes you ignore everything they do.

If anyone, ever, solicits you in-game, issue them IMMEDIATELY. Admin do NOT tolerate that.

Woe.

I tend to shy away from any kind of OOC interaction with anyone unless I somehow know them through some other venue (ie: private clans, real life outside-of-Lusternia-interactions, etc). I'm even a little concerned that Lawliet's request for an age verification could be misconstrued as, well, inappropriate, but if it hasn't been flagged yet, then proceed with caution.

People who are training newbies should be able to do it with their character, for the most part. I recognize that sometimes, truly NEW people need a little more guidance, but that's where the strictly professional, more experienced player can step up and offer some advice before sending the newbie to one of the guides (they get paid for this sort of intensive, hands-on straightening out!).

I don't agree that it was an overreaction. I'd be skeeved out, too, if some kind of city official or guild leader sent me that kind of a private tell without any real reason attached except to, well, be a Little Too Friendly. Telling the person to stop is the best first step, but I still can't get my head around why an experienced player would break character in the first place.

I agree with Druken, if the novices I'm guiding are in-character, no matter how much they fumble or need help, I won't go OOC (with the exception of telling them what commands to do in CAPS). I'd only use OOC if he or she starts being blatantly OOC ("How do I play this game?") or has insists on improper English ("im so confusded"). Otherwise, everything else can be kept in game.